Charles X Gustav (Sweden) (1622пїЅ1660; Ruled 1654пїЅ1660) 23-05-2015, 19:05 Charles X Gustav (Sweden) (1622пїЅ1660; Ruled 1654пїЅ1660) CHARLES X GUSTAV (SWEDEN) (1622пїЅ1660; ruled 1654пїЅ1660), king of Sweden; son of John Casimir of Pfalz-Zweibrücken and Katherine, the half-sister of Gustavus II Adolphus. Charles X Gustav was born and grew up in Sweden. Tutored in history, politics, law, modern languages, and warfare, he spent nearly three years on a grand tour of the Continent.

In 1642, he joined Swedish forces in Germany, where he gained military and diplomatic experience and took part in the campaign against Denmark in 1643пїЅ1645 (Torstensson's War), which resulted in Sweden's gaining Jämtland and Härjedalen in Norway, Halland on the west coast, and Gotland. Throughout his life he showed a remarkable capacity to work hard at whatever challenge faced him. He was also prone to bouts of depression and excessively fond of food, drink, and women. Charles figured importantly in the complex issue of succession. The male line of the Vasa dynasty ended with Gustavus II Adolphus. His daughter Christina, who was only six at his death, was his only legitimate heir. The council nobility took advantage of this situation to enhance its constitutional position, and the monarchy was in danger of becoming little more than symbolic. Christina opposed this trend, especially after reaching her majority in 1644, and viewed assuring the succession as vital. Marriage was the most obvious solution, and her cousin Charles was the most likely candidate.

Christina encouraged this idea until sometime in 1645, when she made it clear she could not marry. Rejecting Charles as a possible husband did not mean rejecting him as her successor. He was welcome at court; she made him commander of the Swedish forces in Germany in 1648 and won the parliament's approval of his succession a year later. Following Christina's coronation in 1650, Charles spent most of his time on his estates on Öland. Charles X Gustav was crowned king on 6 June 1654, the same day that Christina stepped down and prepared to leave Sweden. He was the founder of the Pfalz/Wittelsbach dynasty, which also included Charles XI, Charles XII, and Ulrika Eleonora (1654пїЅ1720). Three themes dominated his short reign: war, state finances, and the constitutional balance between crown and nobility. Charles X was primarily a warrior king. His foreign policy centered on maintaining the empire, which he viewed as essential to Sweden's security. Although Swedish power reached its peak during his reign, the country faced almost constant threats from Poland, Russia, the Habsburgs, Brandenburg, and Denmark.

England, France, and the Netherlands also figured importantly in the complex diplomacy of the region. In 1655, he attacked Poland in what became a costly and largely fruitless conflict. Taking advantage of the situation, the Danes declared war on Sweden in 1657. Charles's campaign against them turned into one of the most daring (or luckiest) in Sweden's history. He easily occupied Jutland and then, due to an abnormally cold winter, was able to march his forces across the frozen Belts; take Fyn, Langeland, and Lolland; and cross to Sjaelland to attack Copenhagen. The Treaty of Roskilde (1658) cost Denmark all of its territories in southern Sweden (Skåne and Blekinge), plus Bohuslän on the Norwegian border, the island of Bornholm, and Trondheimslän in Norway. A second campaign against Denmark was launched in late summer 1658, with the intention of destroying the country and absorbing it into the empire. This time, however, Copenhagen's heroic resistance, new problems in the eastern Baltic, and international concerns about the balance of power in northern Europe worked against Charles.

Fate also intervened, as the king died in early 1660. Peace was reached in 1660, and Sweden was lucky to lose only Bornholm and Trondheimslän. The zenith of empire had passed. Charles X Gustav was a monarchist in the ongoing constitutional battle in Sweden. He supported Christina against the council nobles in the 1640s, and he used the economic troubles arising from the costs of empire and the social discontent resulting from increasing tax burdens to attack the supporters of aristocratic constitutionalism and the vast gains some of the nobility had made in terms of land donations (alienation) from the crown's domain. Crucial in this struggle was the acceptance by the council and the parliament of a complex program to recover some of the lands alienated to the nobility since 1632, called the "quarter reduction," in 1655. War and the king's death prevented the program's full implementation. Twenty years later, a far-reaching reduction and the destruction of the council aristocracy's powers was completed by his son, Charles XI.

Charles X Gustav of Sweden | Military Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Charles X Gustav of Sweden 204,343pages on 13 February 1660(1660-02-13) (aged 37) Gothenburg, Sweden Signature Charles X Gustav also Carl Gustav, Swedish language: Karl X Gustav (8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660) was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir , Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden . After his father's death he also succeeded him as Pfalzgraf . He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp , who bore his son and successor, Charles XI . Charles X Gustav was the second Wittelsbach king of Sweden after the childless king Christopher of Bavaria (1441–1448) and he was the first king of the Swedish Caroline era, which had its peak during the end of the reign of his son, Charles XI .

He led Sweden during the Second Northern War , enlarging the Swedish Empire. By his predecessor Christina, he was considered de facto Duke of Eyland (Öland) [1] before ascending to the Swedish throne. His numbering as Charles X derives from a 16th-century invention. The Swedish king Charles IX (1604–1611) chose his numeral after studying a fictitious history of Sweden. This king was the fourth actual King Charles, [2] but has never been called Charles IV. Contents Edit In his early childhood raised in the Swedish court alongside Queen Christina he received an excellent civil education. Later Charles X learned the art of war under Lennart Torstenson , being present at the second Battle of Breitenfeld (1642) and at Jankowitz (1645).

From 1646 to 1648 he frequented the Swedish court, supposedly as a prospective husband of his cousin the queen regnant, Christina of Sweden (1626–89, reigned 1632–54), but her insurmountable objection to wedlock put an end to these anticipations, and to compensate her cousin for a broken half-promise she declared him her successor in 1649, despite the opposition of the Privy Council headed by Axel Oxenstierna . In 1648 he gained the appointment of commander of the Swedish forces in Germany. The conclusion of the treaties of Westphalia in October 1648 prevented him from winning the military laurels he is said to have desired, but as the Swedish plenipotentiary at the executive congress of Nuremberg, he had an opportunity to learn diplomacy, a science he is described as having quickly mastered. As the recognized heir to the throne, his position on his return to Sweden was dangerous because of the growing discontent with the queen.

He therefore withdrew to the isle of Öland until the abdication of Christina on 5 June 1654 called him to the throne. Early days as King Edit The beginning of Charles X's reign concentrated on the healing of domestic discords and on the rallying of all the forces of the nation round his standard for a new policy of conquest. He contracted a political marriage on 24 October 1654 with Hedwig Eleonora , the daughter of Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp , by way of securing a future ally against Denmark. The Riksdag which assembled at Stockholm in March 1655, duly considered the two great pressing national questions: war, and the restitution of the alienated crown lands. Over three days a secret committee presided over by the King decided the war question: Charles X easily persuaded the delegates that a war against Poland appeared necessary and might prove very advantageous; but the consideration of the question of the subsidies due to the crown for military purposes was postponed to the following Riksdag.

In 1659 he proclaimed severe punishment for anyone hunting in the royal game reserve in Ottenby , Öland , Sweden, where he had built a long dry-stone wall separating the southern tip of the island. Second Northern War (1655–1660) See also: Deluge (history) On 10 July 1655, Charles X left Sweden to engage in a war against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in what became the Second (or Little) Northern War (1655–1660). By the time war was declared he had at his disposal 50,000 men and 50 warships. Hostilities had already begun with the occupation of Dünaburg in Polish Livonia by the Swedes on 1 July 1655. Then on 21 July 1655 Swedish army under Arvid Wittenberg crossed into Poland and proceeded towards the encampment of the Greater Poland Levy of the Nobility ( pospolite ruszenie ) encamped among the banks of the Noteć river, with some regular infantry for support.

On 25 July the Polish noble levy army capitulated, and the voivodeships of Poznań and Kalisz placed themselves under the protection of the Swedish King. Thereupon the Swedes entered Warsaw without opposition and occupied the whole of Greater Poland. The Polish king, John II Casimir of Poland (1648–68) of the House of Vasa , eventually fled to Silesia after his armies had suffered defeats. A great number of Polish nobles and their personal armies joined the Swedes, including the majority of the famous Winged Hussars. Many Poles saw Charles X Gustav as a strong monarch who could be a more effective leader than John II Casimir. Meanwhile Charles X Gustav pressed on towards Kraków, which the Swedes captured after a two months' siege. The fall of Kraków followed a capitulation of the Polish Royal armies, but before the end of the year a reaction began in Poland herself. On 18 November 1655 the Swedes invested the fortress-monastery of Częstochowa, but the Poles defended it and after a seventy days’ siege the Swedish besiegers had to retire with great loss.

This success elicited popular enthusiasm in Poland and gave rise to a nationalistic and religious rhetoric concerning the war and Charles X. He was depicted as tactless and his mercenaries barbaric. His refusal to legalize his position by summoning the Polish diet and his negotiations for the partition of the very state he affected to befriend, awoke a nationalistic spirit in the country. Charles X in skirmish with Tatars near Warsaw In the beginning of 1656 King John II Casimir returned from exile and the reorganised Polish army, increased in numbers. By this time Charles had discovered that he could more readily defeat the Poles than conquer Poland. What is described as his chief object, the conquest of Prussia , remained unaccomplished, and a new Swedish adversary arose in the elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William I , alarmed by the ambition of the Swedish king. Charles forced the elector, albeit at the point of the sword, to become his ally and vassal ( Treaty of Königsberg , 17 January 1656); but the Polish national rising now imperatively demanded his presence in the south.

For weeks he engaged in the pursuit of Polish divisions engaged in guerrilla tactics in the snow-covered plains of Poland, penetrating as far south as Jarosław in Ruthenian Voivodeship (województwo ruskie), by which time he had lost two-thirds of his 15,000 men army with no apparent result. In the meantime, the Russians signed a cease-fire with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ( Treaty of Vilno of 1656 ) and then pursued a campaign in Livonia and laid siege to Riga, the second largest city in the Swedish Realm. Charles's retreat from Jarosław to Warsaw almost ended with disaster, for he returned with the fragments of his host, for his army was trapped by he Polish-Lithuanian armies – amidst three converging armies, in a marshy forest region intersected in every direction by well-guarded rivers – is considered one of his most brilliant achievements. But on 21 June 1656 the Poles retook Warsaw, and four days later Charles was obliged to purchase the assistance of Frederick William I , by the treaty of Marienburg (23 June 1656).

On 28 July-30 the combined Swedes and Brandenburgers, 18,000 strong, after a three days’ battle , defeated John Casimir's army of 40,000 at Warsaw, however the Polish-Lithuanian forces promptly withdrew with no large losses and apparent strong will to fight another day, while Swedish host reoccupied the Polish capital again, causing innumerable destruction to the city and its inhabitants. However, this feat of arms did not have the desired result for Charles, and when Frederick William compelled the Swedish king to open negotiations with the Poles, they refused the terms offered, the war resumed, and Charles concluded an offensive and defensive alliance with the elector of Brandenburg ( Treaty of Labiau , 20 November 1656) which stipulated that Frederick William and his heirs should henceforth possess the full sovereignty of East Prussia . War on Denmark Edit Charles X. Engraving after a painting by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl Labiau involved an essential modification of Charles's Baltic policy; but the alliance with the elector of Brandenburg had now become indispensable for him on almost any terms.

The difficulties of Charles X in Poland are believed to have caused him to receive the tidings of the Danish declaration of war on 1 June 1657 with extreme satisfaction. He had learnt from Torstensson that Denmark was most vulnerable if attacked from the south, and he attacked Denmark with a velocity which paralysed resistance. At the end of June 1657, at the head of 8,000 seasoned veterans, he broke up from Bromberg (Bydgoszcz) south of Pomerania and reached the borders of Holstein on 18 July. The Danish army dispersed and the Swedes recovered the duchy of Bremen . In the early autumn Charles's troops swarmed over Jutland and firmly established themselves in the duchies. But the fortress of Fredriksodde ( Fredericia ) held Charles's smaller army at bay from mid-August to mid-October, while the fleet of Denmark, after two days’ battle, compelled the Swedish fleet to abandon its projected attack on the Danish islands. The position of the Swedish king had now become critical. In July Denmark and Poland-Lithuania concluded an offensive and defensive alliance.

Still more ominously for the Swedes, the elector of Brandenburg, perceiving Sweden's difficulties, joined the league against Sweden and compelled Charles to accept the proffered mediation of Oliver Cromwell , Coenraad van Beuningen and Cardinal Mazarin . The negotiations foundered, however, upon the refusal of Sweden to refer the points in dispute to a general peace-congress, and Charles received encouragement from the capture of Fredriksodde, 23 October-24, whereupon he began to make preparations for conveying his troops over to Funen in transport vessels. But soon another and cheaper expedient presented itself. In the middle of December 1657 began the great frost, which would prove so fatal to Denmark. In a few weeks the cold had grown so intense that the freezing of an arm of the sea with so rapid a current as the Small Belt became a conceivable possibility; and henceforth meteorological observations formed an essential part of the strategy of the Swedes. March across the Belts The crossing of the Great Belt On 28 January 1658, Charles X arrived at Haderslev in South Jutland.

His meteorologists estimated that in a couple of days the ice of the Little Belt would become firm enough to bear even the passage of a mail-clad host. The cold during the night of 29 January became most severe; and early in the morning of the 30th the Swedish king gave the order to start, the horsemen dismounting on the weaker spots of ice and cautiously leading their horses as far apart as possible, until they swung into their saddles again, closed their ranks and made a dash for the shore. Swedish arms quickly overpowered the Danish troops lining the opposite coast and won the whole of Funen with the loss of only two companies of cavalry, which disappeared under the ice while fighting with the Danish left wing. Pursuing his march, Charles X, with his eyes fixed steadily on Copenhagen, resolved to cross the frozen Great Belt also. However, he accepted the advice of his chief engineer officer Erik Dahlberg , who acted as pioneer throughout and chose the more circuitous route from Svendborg, by the islands of Langeland , Lolland and Falster , in preference to the direct route from Nyborg to Korsør, which would have had to cross a broad, almost uninterrupted expanse of ice.

A council of war, which met at two o’clock in the morning to consider the practicability of Dahlberg's proposal, dismissed it as hazardous. Even the king wavered; but when Dahlberg persisted in his opinion, Charles overruled the objections of the commanders. On the night of 5 February the transit began, the cavalry leading the way through the snow-covered ice, which quickly thawed beneath the horses’ hoofs so that the infantry which followed after had to wade through half an ell of sludge, facing the risk that the ice would break beneath their feet. At three o’clock in the afternoon, with Dahlberg leading the way, the army reached Grimsted in Lolland without losing a man; on 8 February, Charles reached Falster. On 11 February he stood safely on the soil of Zealand . A Swedish medal struck to commemorate the transit of the Baltic Sea bear the inscription: Natura hoc debuit uni.

Sweden had achieved a rare war exploit, in Sweden considered to be matched only by the crusade of the Livonian Order led by William of Modena to conquer Saaremaa (Osel) in January 1227 and afterwards when two Russian armies crossed the frozen Gulf of Bothnia from Finland to mainland Sweden in March 1809 during the Finnish War . It is believed that the effect of this achievement on the Danish government found expression in the Treaty of Taastrup on 18 February, and in the Treaty of Roskilde (26 February 1658), whereby Denmark sacrificed a great part of her territory to save the rest. However, Charles X continued the war efforts against Denmark after a council held at Gottorp on 7 July, even though he was in defiance of international equity. Without warning, Denmark was attacked a second time.

On 17 July he again landed on Zealand and besieged Copenhagen with its king Frederick III of Denmark , but Copenhagen repelled a major assault and managed to hold out long enough for the Dutch fleet under Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam to relieve the city, defeating the Swedish fleet in the Battle of the Sound on 29 October 1658. Jutland had been reconquered by Denmark's allies, Poland and Brandenburg, and in 1659 Danish and forces liberated the Island of Funen in the Battle of Nyborg . As Baltic trade was vital to the Dutch economy they made clear to Charles they wouldn't allow Sweden to control the Sound. The Estates in Gothenburg Edit Charles X consented to reopen negotiations with Denmark, at the same time proposing to exercise pressure upon his rival by a simultaneous winter campaign in Norway. Such an enterprise necessitated fresh subsidies from his already impoverished people, and obliged him in December 1659 to cross over to Sweden to meet the estates , whom he had summoned to Gothenburg. The lower estates protested the imposition of fresh burdens, but were persuaded by Charles.

Foot end of King Carl Gustav's elaborate coffin in Stockholm's Riddarholm Church Illness and death Edit Soon after the estates opened on 4 January 1660, Charles X Gustav fell ill with symptoms of a cold. Ignoring his illness, he repeatedly went to inspect the Swedish forces near Gothenburg, and soon broke down with chills, headaches and dyspnoea. On 15 January, court physician Johann Köster arrived, and in medical error mistook Charles X Gustav's pneumonia for scorbut and dyspepsia . Köster started a "cure" including the application of multiple enemata , laxatives , [3] bloodletting and sneezing powder . While after three weeks the fever eventually was down and the coughing was better, the pneumonia had persisted and evolved into a sepsis by 8 February. [4] On 12 February, Charles X Gustav signed his testament: His son, Charles XI of Sweden , was still a minor, and Charles X Gustav appointed a minor regency consisting of six relatives and close friends. Charles X Gustav died the next day at the age of 37.

[4] Ancestors Charles X Gustav (Sweden) (1622–1660; Ruled 1654–1660) - Dictionary definition of Charles X Gustav (Sweden) (1622–1660; Ruled 1654–1660) | Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary Charles X Gustav (Sweden) (1622–1660; Ruled 1654–1660) Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World COPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group Inc. CHARLES X GUSTAV ( SWEDEN ) (1622–1660; ruled 1654–1660) CHARLES X GUSTAV (SWEDEN) (1622–1660; ruled 1654–1660), king of Sweden ; son of John Casimir of Pfalz-Zweibrücken and Katherine, the half-sister of Gustavus II Adolphus. Charles X Gustav was born and grew up in Sweden.

Tutored in history, politics, law, modern languages, and warfare, he spent nearly three years on a grand tour of the Continent. In 1642, he joined Swedish forces in Germany , where he gained military and diplomatic experience and took part in the campaign against Denmark in 1643–1645 (Torstensson's War), which resulted in Sweden's gaining Jämtland and Härjedalen in Norway , Halland on the west coast, and Gotland. Throughout his life he showed a remarkable capacity to work hard at whatever challenge faced him. He was also prone to bouts of depression and excessively fond of food, drink, and women. Charles figured importantly in the complex issue of succession. The male line of the Vasa dynasty ended with Gustavus II Adolphus. His daughter Christina, who was only six at his death, was his only legitimate heir. The council nobility took advantage of this situation to enhance its constitutional position, and the monarchy was in danger of becoming little more than symbolic. Christina opposed this trend, especially after reaching her majority in 1644, and viewed assuring the succession as vital.

Marriage was the most obvious solution, and her cousin Charles was the most likely candidate. Christina encouraged this idea until sometime in 1645, when she made it clear she could not marry. Rejecting Charles as a possible husband did not mean rejecting him as her successor. He was welcome at court; she made him commander of the Swedish forces in Germany in 1648 and won the parliament's approval of his succession a year later. Following Christina's coronation in 1650, Charles spent most of his time on his estates on Öland. Charles X Gustav was crowned king on 6 June 1654, the same day that Christina stepped down and prepared to leave Sweden. He was the founder of the Pfalz/Wittelsbach dynasty, which also included Charles XI, Charles XII, and Ulrika Eleonora (1654–1720). Three themes dominated his short reign: war, state finances, and the constitutional balance between crown and nobility. Charles X was primarily a warrior king. His foreign policy centered on maintaining the empire, which he viewed as essential to Sweden's security.

Although Swedish power reached its peak during his reign, the country faced almost constant threats from Poland , Russia , the Habsburgs, Brandenburg , and Denmark. England , France , and the Netherlands also figured importantly in the complex diplomacy of the region. In 1655, he attacked Poland in what became a costly and largely fruitless conflict. Taking advantage of the situation, the Danes declared war on Sweden in 1657. Charles's campaign against them turned into one of the most daring (or luckiest) in Sweden's history. He easily occupied Jutland and then, due to an abnormally cold winter, was able to march his forces across the frozen Belts; take Fyn, Langeland, and Lolland; and cross to Sjaelland to attack Copenhagen . The Treaty of Roskilde (1658) cost Denmark all of its territories in southern Sweden (Skåne and Blekinge), plus Bohuslän on the Norwegian border, the island of Bornholm, and Trondheimslän in Norway. A second campaign against Denmark was launched in late summer 1658, with the intention of destroying the country and absorbing it into the empire.

This time, however, Copenhagen's heroic resistance, new problems in the eastern Baltic, and international concerns about the balance of power in northern Europe worked against Charles. Fate also intervened, as the king died in early 1660. Peace was reached in 1660, and Sweden was lucky to lose only Bornholm and Trondheimslän. The zenith of empire had passed. Charles X Gustav was a monarchist in the ongoing constitutional battle in Sweden. He supported Christina against the council nobles in the 1640s, and he used the economic troubles arising from the costs of empire and the social discontent resulting from increasing tax burdens to attack the supporters of aristocratic constitutionalism and the vast gains some of the nobility had made in terms of land donations (alienation) from the crown's domain. Crucial in this struggle was the acceptance by the council and the parliament of a complex program to recover some of the lands alienated to the nobility since 1632, called the "quarter reduction," in 1655. War and the king's death prevented the program's full implementation.

Twenty years later, a far-reaching reduction and the destruction of the council aristocracy's powers was completed by his son, Charles XI. See also Christina (Sweden) ; Gustavus II Adolphus (Sweden) ; Oxenstierna, Axel ; Sweden ; Vasa Dynasty (Sweden) . BIBLIOGRAPHY Dahlgren, Stellan. Karl X och reduktion. Uppsala, 1964. Kirby, D. G. Northern Europe in the Early Modern Period: The Baltic World 1492–1772. London, 1990. Roberts, Michael. "Charles X and His Council: 'Dualism' or Cooperation" and "Charles X and the Great Parenthesis: A Reconsideration." In From Oxenstierna to Charles XII. Four Studies. Cambridge, U.K., and New York , 1991. Byron J. Nordstrom Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA Charles X Gustavus of Sweden | History Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Charles X Gustavus of Sweden 2,036pages on Charles X Gustavus (Swedish: Karl X Gustav; German: Karl X. Gustav) (18 November 1622 - 23 February 1660) was the King of Sweden from 1654 until 1660 and the Duke of Kleeburg from 1652 until 1654. Table of Contents Edit Charles Gustavus was born in Nyköping in 1622 as the second son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Kleeburg and Catherine, Princess of Sweden . He was trained at the Danish military academy at Sorø and became an outstanding soldier. During the Thirty Years' War he served as a Swedish general in Germany . He was declared the Crown Prince of Sweden in 1650. Queen Christina rejected his marriage proposals. After relations deteriorated with the queen he retired to Öland .

In 1652 he succeeded his father as Duke of Kleeburg but abdicated the position to his brother Adolph John in 1564 when Christina abdicated and Charles Gustavus succeeded her. King of Sweden Edit Charles Gustavus immediately began to reorganise the Swedish state to war. He consolidated the finances of the state damaged by the Thirty Years' War and married Hedwig Eleanore of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp to gain an ally in future wars against Denmark. In 1655 he convinced a secret council that war against Poland was both necessary and advantageous, but the council postponed consideration on the subsidies due to the crown for military matters. This was soon resolved and on 10 July 1655 he left Sweden to war against Poland in the Second Northern War (1655 - 1660). War in Poland Edit At the disposal of Charles Gustavus at the beginning of the campaign were 50,000 troops and 50 warships. Hostilities had already commenced when the Swedes captured Dünaburg in Polish Livonia of 1 July.

The Polish army encamped in the swamps around the Netze declared a convention of 25 July and the palatines of Poznań and Kalisz placed themselves under his protection. Thereafter the Swedes captured Warsaw without conflict, occupied all of Greater Poland , and forced King John II Casimir to flee to Silesia . Charles Gustavus moved onto Kraków which he captured after a two month siege. On 18 October he moved onto the fortress-monastery of Czestochowa but after a seventy day siege was forced to retreat after heavy losses. The defeat at Czestochowa gave rise to Polish and religious sentiment against the Swedish occupation. Charles was considered tactless and his soldiers barbaric mercenaries, and illegitimate after refusing to consolidate his position by summoning the diet. Furthermore his plans to partition the kingdom which he intended to befriend awoke even more nationalistic sentiment. In early 1656 King John II Casimir returned from exile and managed to quickly raise an army to fight the Swedes. His main objective, the conquest of Prussia remained unachieved and the Brandenburg Elector Frederick William I had become alarmed at the ambition of the Swedish king.

Charles forced the Elector, through threat, to become his ally and vassal in the Treaty of Königsberg (17 January 1656) but the Polish uprising forced him to quickly travel south. For weeks he pursued the Polish guerillas through the snow-covered plains and penetrated as far as Jarosław in Galicia , by which time he had lost two-thirds of his soldiers without result. Meanwhile the Russians invaded Livonia and besieged Riga (then the second largest city in the Kingdom of Sweden]] in the Russo-Swedish War . Charles retreat to Warsaw between three convergent armies in a marshy forest region intersected by well-guarded rivers is considered one of his most brilliant achievements. But on 21 June the Poles recaptured Warsaw. He was forced to sign the Treaty of Marienburg (23 June 1656) to maintain the alliance with Brandenburg. From 28 to 30 July the combined Brandenburg-Sweden army of 18,000 defeated the 40,000 strong Polish army and recaptured Warsaw.

However the capture did not have the desired result, the Elector forced Charles to open negotiations and after his terms were rejected was forced to fight the war alone. By the Treaty of Labiau (20 November 1656) the Brandenburg alliance was reforged although East Prussia remained no longer a Swedish vassal. War in Denmark Edit Charles Gustavus' campaign in Poland was in shatters and his alliance with Brandenburg had become indispensable, so when word came of the declaration of war by Denmark on 1 June 1657 he received the news with satisfaction. By 18 July he had reached the borders of Holstein . The Danish army dispersed and he recaptured the Duchy of Bremen . In early autumn his soldiers had overrun most of Jutland . But the fortress of Fredriksodde held his army at bay from August until October, and after two days battle the Danish fleet forced the Swedish fleet to abandon its attack on the Danish islands. The situation was made worse when the Elector of Brandenburg learned of his difficulties, joined the alliance against him, and forced him to accept the mediation of Oliver Cromwell and Cardinal Mazzarin .

The negotiations floundered due to the intransigence of Charles Gustavus, and after being encouraged by the capture of Fredriksodde on October 24 he renewed his war. Beginning in the middle of December a great frost had become so intense that the Small Belt could be crossed by his army. So began the March across the Belts . On 30 January he lead his army from Haderslev in southern Jutland across the ice. At the Battle of Funen on the opposite shore he defeated the Danes with small losses. Through the advice of Erik Dahlberg he then marched to Copenhagen on a circuitous route across the islands of Langeland , Lolland and Falster . On 11 February he landed on Zealand which forced the Danes to surrender significant parts of Denmark in Scania to Sweden to save the rest by the Treaty of Roskilde (February 28). But in defiance of international convention Charles Gustavus continued his attack of Copenhagen until the city was relieved by Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam and his Dutch fleet, who made clear that they would not allow the Baltic Trade to be dominated by Sweden.

Charles died in Gothenburg in 1660 aged 37 and was buried in Stockholm . Marriage John Casimir fathered a son in an affair with Brigitta Allerts : Gustavus (13 March 1649 - 1 January 1708) John Casimir married Hedwig Eleanore of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (23 October 1636 - 24 November 1715), daughter of Duke Frederick III , on 24 October 1654 and had the following son: Charles (4 December 1655 - 15 April 1697) Preceded by: Charles X Gustav of Sweden | European Royal History Carl X Gustav of Sweden , Charles X Gustav of Sweden , Christian IV of Denmark , Constitutional Monarchy , Denmark , Frederick III of Denmark , George of Denmark , Haandfæstning , Hereditary Monarchy , Queen Anne , Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg We have seen how England/Britain went from a monarchy where the sovereign had considerable power under the Tudors (although not absolute) to the constitutional form it has today.

Denmark is another example of a thriving monarchy that once was absolute. Denmark has a long history of monarchy. Even longer than that of the United Kingdom. Denmark also has an interesting history of a monarchy that was once limited then became absolute only to transform again to a limited constitutional monarchy. We begin our story with Denmark in the year 1660 when King Frederik III of Denmark and Norway began his absolute rule. He had come to the throne in 1648 and was the second son of Christian IV and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg. He had an elder brother, Prince Christian, who was Prince-Elect of Denmark until his death in 1647. For centuries Denmark had been an elective monarchy with the eldest son often designated as Prince Elect. More times than not the eldest son would inherit the throne. When Christian IV died after a reign of 59 years (longest in Danish history) the Rigsraadet (royal council) was the main power center of Danish politics and had been for centuries. It took the royal council several weeks to finally elect Frederik as King of Denmark and Norway.

Upon his election, King Frederik III was forced to sign a Håndfæstning* which attempted to humiliate the king and greatly reduce his powers. For several years in the early part of his reign Denmark was at war with Sweden who was ruled by King Carl X Gustav (1654-1660). The war was ended by the Treaty of Copenhagen in May 1660. After the war saw a rise in popularity for the king. The traditional loyalty of the Danish middle classes toward the king rose exponentially. Frederik III’s response to his new found popularity was to change the elective monarchy into an absolute hereditary monarchy by the Revolution of 1660. To ensure his status as absolute monarch Frederik III instituted a state of emergency in Denmark. In September of 1660 he gathered the Estates, and played them against one another thus dividing them and weakening them. In doing this he succeeded in gaining support for the hereditary monarchy, annulled the Haandfæstning and inaugurated the institution of absolute monarchy by decree.

Incidentally, Frederik III was married to Princess Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg and their youngest son was Prince George, Duke of Cumberland husband of Britain’s Queen Anne (1702-1714) From 1660-1848 the Kingdom of Denmark was absolute. Next week we will see how the Danish Monarchy became the constitutional monarchy it is today. *A Haandfæstning (Modern Danish: Håndfæstning & Modern Norwegian: Håndfestning, lit. “Handbinding”) was a document issued by the kings of Denmark from 13th to the 17th century, preceding and during the realm’s personal union with the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway. Following Sweden’s independence, similar documents were also issued by its kings. In many ways it is a Scandinavian parallel to the English Magna Carta. The haandfæstning was the result of the strength of the power of the nobility. The first Danish king who was forced to sign this kind of charter was King Eric V in 1282. It was used as a regular coronation charter for the first time in 1320.

Between 1440 and 1648 it was a normal condition for the recognition of a new king. When absolute monarchy was introduced in 1660 the last haandfæstning was mortified. ~ wikipedia. Search: King Carl Gustaf | Mount and Blade Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Although his name was King Charles X Gustav of Sweden, he was actually the fourth King Charles. Johann Koster, a doctor for the king, mistook his pneumonia contracted by traveling throughout the kingdom with a cold for scorbut and dyspepsia. The pneumonia then evolved into a sepsis, which caused his death on February 13, 1660, at the age of 37. He was the one who caused the deluge in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , having invaded Poland in 1655 with a force of 50,000 men. He is the youngest of all the rulers in With Fire and Sword, being only 37 years old by 1660. Wikipedia has an article on this subject at: The New International Encyclopædia/Charles X.

Gustavus - Wikisource, the free online library The New International Encyclopædia/Charles X. Gustavus From Wikisource 1450951 The New International Encyclopædia — Charles X. Gustavus CHARLES X. GUSTAVUS (1622-60). King of Sweden from 1654 to 1660. He was born at Nyköping, November 8, 1622, the son of Catharine, eldest sister of Gustavus Adolphus, and of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (Deux Ponts). After studying at the University of Upsala, he traveled through France, Germany, and Switzerland, and joined the army of Torstenson (q.v.) in 1642. He fought at the battles of Jankau and Leipzig, and at the close of the Thirty Years' War was the representative of Queen Christina at the conference held subsequent to the Treaty of Westphalia. On the abdication of Christina he succeeded, June 16, 1654, to the throne of a kingdom in an almost bankrupt condition.

In 1655 Charles invaded Poland, whose King, John Casimir, indulged in pretensions to the Swedish Crown, compelled the Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William, to enter into an alliance with him, defeated the Polish army in a great battle at Warsaw (July 28-30, 1656) and overran the country, but retired when Russia and Austria prepared to assist the Poles, while the King of Denmark invaded the Swedish territories in Germany. He attacked Denmark in 1658, crossing the Little Belt on the ice, and secured for Sweden the provinces of Scania, Halland, and Bleking. Renewing the war in the same year, Charles laid siege to Copenhagen. The Dutch came to the assistance of the Danes and defeated the Swedish fleet, and in 1659 Charles had to abandon the siege. At the same time his forces were defeated in Pomerania by the Elector of Brandenburg, who had turned against him. Charles died in Gothenburg, February 13, 1660. Consult Geijer and Carlson, Geschichte Schwedens, Vol. IV. (Gotha, 1855-75).

Vasa Dynasty (Sweden) - Dictionary definition of Vasa Dynasty (Sweden) | Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary Vasa Dynasty (Sweden) Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World COPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group Inc. VASA DYNASTY ( SWEDEN ) VASA DYNASTY (SWEDEN). The Vasa Dynasty, which ruled Sweden from 1523 to 1654, included Gustav I Vasa (Gustav Eriksson), Erik XIV, John III, Sigismund I Vasa, Charles IX, Gustavus II Adolphus, and Christina. During their reigns, Sweden left the Kalmar Union and became an independent state, adopted Lutheranism, developed a more complex economy, built a Baltic empire and a place of importance in European affairs, and became increasingly European culturally. (The Vasa name derives from the vase, a sheaf of grain in the family's insignia or shield. The family's noble roots lie in the fourteenth century.) Gustav I Vasa (ruled 1523–1560) established the dynasty.

Aided by the Hanseatic League and important elements of the Swedish commons, he led the last of Sweden's rebellions against the Danish-controlled Kalmar Union. He became king in June 1523, and for thirty-seven years worked diligently and ruthlessly to ensure Sweden's independence and development. He made and maintained peace with Denmark , encouraged the Reformation, expropriated the properties of the Catholic Church to the crown's benefit, supported economic developments, built up a modest army and navy, curbed the Hanseatic League's influence, used the Parliament to ratify his actions, made Sweden a hereditary monarchy (1544), crushed domestic disturbances, and fostered the growth of a central administration. One of Europe 's "new monarchs," he enhanced the power of the crown and curbed that of the nobility. Following his death in 1560, many of his achievements were eroded by the half-century of internal turmoil and foreign wars initiated by his sons Erik, John, and Charles. Erik XIV (ruled 1560–1568) was temperamental, suspicious, and mentally unstable. He squandered the fiscal and political assets his father had bequeathed him.

He launched Sweden's age of imperial adventures in the Baltic, helped to precipitate the Northern Seven Years' War (1563–1570) with Denmark, and even sought the hand of Elizabeth I of England . He also engaged in a running conflict with his half-brother, Duke John, who, from his duchy in Finland , acted like a king in his own right. This conflict peaked in 1568, when John, with the aid of their brother Charles, deposed Erik and imprisoned him in Gripsholm Castle, where he died in 1577. John III (ruled 1568–1592), more stable, cultured, and politically astute than Erik, worked to restore peace and stability. His efforts were undermined by religious strife. His marriage to Catherine, daughter of Sigismund II Augustus of Poland , led to a drift towards Catholicism, and this was reinforced when their heir, Sigismund, who was raised a Catholic, became king of Poland as Sigismund III Vasa in 1587.

When Sigismund (ruled Sweden as Sigismund I Vasa 1592–1599) succeeded his father as king of Sweden, a political arrangement was forged to balance the interests of the crown, those of the last of the Vasa sons (Charles), and those of the high nobility. Fear of the king's Catholicism led to a reaffirmation of Lutheranism at Uppsala in 1593. Sigismund stacked the administration with his favorites, which alarmed Charles, and civil war erupted in 1597. Sigismund was defeated at Stångebro the following year and deposed in 1599. He remained king in Poland, however, until his death in 1632, and for over half a century the two lines of the Vasa dynasty were in conflict. Charles IX (ruled 1599–1611) acted as regent until 1604, and he was not crowned until 1607. He ruthlessly eliminated his opponents (Linköping Bloodbath, 1600) and ruled personally or through favorites.

He ignored complaints that he was violating the nobility's privileges. Following his death in 1611, the nobles took their revenge. Charles's heir, Gustavus II Adolphus, was only seventeen, and the price of his recognition was an accession charter that guaranteed noble power in the country. Until relatively recently, Gustavus II Adolphus (ruled 1611–1632) has been viewed as one of Sweden's greatest kings—architect of Sweden's age of greatness; author of creative and positive developments in government, administration, economics, and education; one of history's best military leaders; and the man most responsible for the survival of Lutheranism in Germany . This interpretation usually paired him with his adviser and chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna. More recent assessments tend to assign greater influence to Oxenstierna in political, economic, and administrative matters. In military matters he was less a creative thinker than an efficient and effective applier of ideas originating elsewhere. Gustavus II Adolphus spent almost his entire reign at war (successively with Denmark, Russia , Poland, and the Catholic-Imperial forces in Germany).

He died at the Battle of Lützen on 6 November 1632. Christina (ruled 1632–1654), Gustavus II Adolphus's only legitimate heir, was six when her father was killed. Power therefore passed to a regency dominated by Axel Oxenstierna, and for the next twelve years the influence of the nobility was enhanced. Christina's personal rule covered a decade, and her importance has been variously interpreted. Oxenstierna's influence declined, and she effectively played competing factions against each other to achieve her desire for peace in Germany and the recognition of her cousin, Charles X Gustav, as her heir. Unwilling to marry, she abdicated and left Sweden in 1654. She converted to Catholicism and lived the rest of her life in Rome , where she pursued her cultural interests and dabbled in politics. She died in 1689.

The Vasa dynasty ended with Christina's abdication, as the crown passed to Charles X Gustav (ruled 1654–1660), son of Gustavus II Adolphus's half-sister, Katherine, and John Casimir of Pfalz-Zweibrücken. See also Charles X Gustav (Sweden) ; Christina (Sweden) ; Gustavus II Adolphus (Sweden) ; Kalmar, Union of ; Oxenstierna, Axel ; Sweden . BIBLIOGRAPHY Kirby, David. Northern Europe in the Early Modern Period: The Baltic World 1492–1772. London and New York , 1990. Nordstrom, Byron J., ed. Dictionary of Scandinavian History. Westport, Conn., 1986. This work contains articles on each of the rulers in the Vasa dynasty. Robert, Michael. The Early Vasas: A History of Sweden. 1523–1611. Cambridge, U.K., and London, 1968. Scott, Franklin D. Sweden: The Nation's History. Carbondale, Ill., 1988. Byron J.

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Question: Charles X Gustav ruled which Kingdom from 1654 to 1660?
Answer: SWEDEN